Top Reasons to Visit Brookside Mountain Mist Inn

The homey B&B is a short drive from downtown Asheville, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the Biltmore Estate, George Vanderbilt’s expansive mansion.

You can see the misty Blue Ridge Mountains from the oversize picture windows in the living and dining rooms.

A three-course gourmet breakfast is served in the dining room or on the outdoor terrace, if the weather permits. In addition to scones, biscuits, or guava-cream-cheese danishes, there are main entrees such as belgian waffles, a house favorite, or orange-pecan french toast.

The guest rooms are individually decorated; all have a fireplace and private bathroom.

Over-stuffed leather furnishings surround the fireplace in the living room. You can relax here with a book or a game.

There’s a rainy-day closet overflowing with games, books, DVDs, and playing cards.

Waynesville, North Carolina: Historical Southern Town in Appalachian Valley

Waynesville is nestled between the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains, 30 miles west of Asheville. You can get up-close views of the region's beautiful mountainous terrain by driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway, a 469-mile scenic route that starts just 30 miles east of Waynesville and ends near Waynesboro, Virginia—both towns are named after Revolutionary War general “Mad” Anthony Wayne. The parkway branches out to more than 100 hiking trails, ranging from short footpaths to the Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. You can attempt these hikes in the winter, but make sure you pack the proper gear.

In Waynesville, tour the town’s preserved commercial district, Frog Level. The district took off in the late 19th century, and furniture, hardware, and grocery stores thrived here well into the 1940s. You can find several art galleries that feature work inspired by the Appalachian Valley, including the metal sculptures at Grace Cathey’s Sculpture Gallery and Garden and woodworking and quilting displays at the Museum of North Carolina Handicrafts.